Arbitrary spatial mode sorting in a multimode fiber

Sorting spatial optical modes is a key challenge that underpins many applications from super-resolved imaging to high-dimensional quantum key distribution. However, to date implementations of optical mode sorters only operate on specific sets of modes, such as those carrying orbital angular momentum, and therefore lack versatility with respect to operation with an arbitrary spatial basis. Here, we demonstrate an arbitrary spatial mode sorter by harnessing the random mode mixing process occurring during light propagation in a multimode fibre by wavefront shaping. By measuring the transmission matrix of the fibre, we show sorting of up to $25$ transverse spatial modes of the Fourier, Laguerre-Gaussian and a random basis to an arbitrary set of positions at the output. Our approach provides a spatial mode sorter that is compact, easy-to-fabricate, programmable and usable with any spatial basis, which is promising for quantum and classical information science.

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